


'Eels Like Home

by NamelesslyNightlock



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Crack, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Nick Fury is Not Amused, Pets, Tony Stark is a good boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 05:59:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18243782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: After the dog and the cassowary, Tony had kind of assumed that would be it.He really should have known better.





	'Eels Like Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rabentochter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabentochter/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Confessions of a Lonely Boy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18191738) by [STARSdidathing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing). 
  * Inspired by [Birds of a Feather (Make a Family together)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18235358) by [Rabentochter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabentochter/pseuds/Rabentochter). 



> Obviously, this started with **STARSdidathing's** absolutely adorable fic, and then **Rabentochter** wrote a sequel where they get a dog and a cassowary. Then, **Rabentochter** showed me [this lovely image](http://cookiesforthedarkside.tumblr.com/post/183629079080/mahouwl-silverhawk-silverhawk-the-fact), and talked me into doing a sequel of her sequel. And that is how I got here.  
>   
> But, yes. This is third in a series, and might seem a little strange if you haven't read those first.  
>   
> EDIT 30/03/19- This now has [art by Rabentochter!](https://rabentochter.tumblr.com/post/183819691029/this-is-for-quietlyapocalyptic-fanfic) ❤︎

Okay, so Tony had been able to put up with the dog. He _loved_ the dog actually, even though it liked to chew on his leather Armani’s. (Well, that’s what he told Pepper when he had to turn up to a fundraising gala wearing his work boots. She had only let him off because she too loved the dog an awful lot.)

The cassowary had been a bit of a stretch, because, well, he’d _heard_ about those things, and naming it after a fictional velociraptor expert probably did not bode well. But that was okay, because Loki had wanted it, and for Loki, Tony was willing to move heaven and Earth.

But then, you know.

Tony had assumed that would be it.

He really should have known better than that.

And okay, so maybe, _maybe_ he had a nightmare about Loki bringing home an alligator the night before, and a taipan the night before that, so maybe he wasn’t _quite_ in the right state of mind. And when he walked into the living room that afternoon and found that Loki had set up a tank the size of a large swimming pool, he might have panicked just a little. The damn thing could only have even fit with magical involvement– Tony was sure that at least half of the tank should have been sticking out of the side of the Tower otherwise.

Regardless, the size of it was so ridiculous and Tony’s current thoughts about Loki’s ability to love an animal regardless of how dangerous it was meant that his initial reaction to it was, in Tony’s opinion, rather justified.

 _Oh god_ , Tony thought. _Please don’t tell me he’s got a great white shark_.

Or, maybe that had just been Loki’s plan– because when Loki then gestured to a significantly smaller (but still rather large) tank at the side of the room which contained only a single, ordinary, practically _diminutive_ goldfish, Tony’s only reaction was pure and unadulterated _relief_.

“His name is Jorah,” Loki said softly, that smile that Tony never would be able to resist curling around the edges of his mouth. “Can we keep him?”

Despite himself, Tony narrowed his eyes. “Did you hear that name on the TV?” he asked.

He tried to think of a reason _why_ Loki would name his new goldfish after a _Game of Thrones_ character, but nothing came to mind– there really was nothing about that character which screamed _goldfish_ , neither properly or ironically.

But then Loki shook his head. “I did not,” he said. “It just seemed…” he trailed off, and glanced back to the tank, that pleased smile back in place.

Okay. Right. Tony supposed the name must come from somewhere other than the TV show, and he supposed that if he could deal with owning a dog named Föokjin and a (female) cassowary named Alan, then adding a goldfish named Jorah into the mix wasn’t really a big deal.

And besides, goldfish were easy, right? So long as you fed them, cleaned their tank, and made sure they had the proper stimulation in their environment, then it wasn’t like they needed _a lot_ of work. And a goldfish was certainly unlikely to cause an incident like the one Alan had at the dog park two weeks previously.

So, of _course_ Tony smiled brightly and told Loki that he could keep his goldfish. After all, it was a hell of an improvement from the great white shark that he had been expecting.

And when Loki’s smile brightened in response, Tony leaned in and pressed his lips to Loki’s sweetly, kissing him nice and slow.

“Thank you,” Loki said as they pulled away, leaning their foreheads together and staying close.

“You don’t have to thank me, you know that,” Tony said. “Not for the kiss, _or_ the pets.”

Loki grinned, and ducked his head to kiss Tony again.

Loki had so much love to give, and if these creatures helped to bring him happiness, then Tony knew he would love every single one just the same.

Which… you know. Was something he tried to keep in mind when he came up from the workshop the following day to find that half the living room had been turned into a beach.

Well, okay, maybe not _half–_ but all the space that had been taken up by the tank before was now moving water that lapped up against a metre-wide line of sand, which stopped at a wooden border that almost gave it the look of a sandpit, but… more elegant, somehow.

Peter had appeared, and was happily building a sandcastle despite – or perhaps because of – Föo’s attempts to destroy it. Loki was sitting next to him in cotton shorts and a green shirt, holding an actual floatie in the shape of a sea serpent under one arm and gently stroking a snoozing Alan with the other.

“What… is going on?” Tony asked slowly. Because sure, he was used to strange things occurring in the Tower every now and then – he lived with _Loki_ , after all – but a whole entire _beach_ was bit more than potions ingredients or Australian dinosaur birds.

“Jorah didn’t like his tank,” Loki said, as if that explained everything.

And, okay, so maybe it did. Tony knew that Loki cared for their pets with all that he was, and looked after them with as much care as he could. The goldfish would have only needed to swim into his reflection the once or even _start_ to look like it was doing laps before Loki would have leapt up to fix the problem, so that his pet could be as comfortable as possible. It was one of the things that made Tony love him even more, and he found himself smiling fondly and going over to sit beside his lover, not caring that he was getting sand all through his clothes.

It may have seemed ridiculous, that an entire portion of a beach had been created in the corner of the living room for just one single, solitary goldfish, but hey– they had the space, and if it made everyone happy, then who was Tony to complain?

Verdict after that was, thankfully, that Jorah seemed happy in his new home – though when he heard Loki and Peter discussing whether Jorah would _escape_ again, he had to admit that he was a little bit confused. But Jorah remained completely content in his new tiny sea, and things remained perfect for a few days.

But, as with almost everything else in Tony’s life, it didn’t stay that way for long.

It was a cool night, and he and Loki were curled up in their bed, their limbs tangled under the sheets, bare skin pressing together as they held each other close. Loki’s fingers were drawing light patterns over Tony’s back, soothing him into sleep, and Tony was just on the brink when—

“Sir,” JARVIS said loudly– and JARVIS knew better than to interrupt such moments, so when he spoke suddenly and at full volume in the middle of the night, it would without fail spring Tony into immediate wakefulness. “There appears to be an intruder. They have disabled my alarms, and I…” his voice trailed off, and Tony was sitting up and throwing the covers away in an instant, disturbing Föo from where he was sleeping at the end of the bed.

“J?” he asked, concerned.

There was no response, and Tony exchanged a worried glance with Loki before they were both charging from the room. Föo went with them, his nose pressing into their ankles as he tried to herd them back into the bedroom, not understanding what was going on and probably just wanting to go back to sleep.

They were almost there when a yell sounded from the living room.

“Mother _fucker!_ ”

The voice was familiar, even if the _screeched_ tone was not one that they normally heard it using, and it calmed Tony enough to allow annoyance to take the place of concern.

The living room was, of course, dark, since JARVIS was apparently not around to turn on the lights, so Loki lit a glowing orb with his seiðr that hovered into the middle of the room. The green light was a little eerie, and it made the scene before them seem a little more… well. A little more like something out of an incredibly low budget horror movie.

Fury, it seemed, had not been informed of the new developments to the Tower’s living room, and had stepped into Jorah’s sea. But the creature that was hanging from Fury’s foot was definitely _not_ a goldfish—

“Oh god,” Tony said. “That _thing_ might have eaten our goldfish. Oh, poor Jorah—”

“Don’t be silly,” Loki chastised, his concern also gone– and somehow, the smile on his face as he watched the proceedings was downright _fond_. “That _is_ —”

“Stark!” Fury snapped. “Why are you worrying about a goldfish when this _thing_ is currently _eating_ my foot—”

“It’s not eating your foot,” Tony said, examining it carefully. The light really did make it look rather horrifying– it was some kind of eel, long and green with shining blue eyes. It had latched itself pretty firmly onto Fury’s ankle, but its mouth was not moving at all, so it clearly wasn’t _chewing_. But when Tony tried to mention this, Loki shook his head.

“He has a pharyngeal jaw,” Loki said. “A second set of teeth that live back in its throat and are extended to grip its food once bitten, and draw it down further into the mouth.”

Tony… wasn’t sure he wanted to understand all of that, but he was pretty certain that he got the important part.

“It’s got two sets of _jaws?_ ” he asked.

“Not _it_ ,” Loki replied. “ _Jorah_. And, yes. Amazing, isn’t he?”

Amazing? Well, probably, but… uh…

Well. At least one thing suddenly made a whole lot of sense.

“Did you… name our goldfish… after the giant snake in Norse Mythology?” Tony asked weakly.

“Jorah is moray eel,” Loki corrected. “And… yes, I did. But since you constantly mangle Föokjin’s name, I thought you might appreciate something easier for your human tongue.”

Tony blinked, the reality of the situation crashing down on him. “I’m sorry, _what?_ How did our goldfish turn into an eel?”

“He always was an eel,” Loki said firmly. “And _he_ knows that he is. I just… I was concerned that you would not let me keep him. I know what it is to be different and unwanted.”

That, of course, just made Tony want to give Loki a hug, but the way he had said it was far lighter than he once might have done– Loki was speaking about the past, but he knew now, with his family, what it was to be loved.

Okay, even though it hurt a little Tony supposed he could understand why Loki had done what he had– after all, Tony had initially argued about Alan, and she _was_ pretty cute. But then, Loki crossed the room and crouched in the water to scratch under Jorah’s chin, and the eel let go immediately, his mouth falling open in obvious bliss under Loki’s ministrations– and _okay_ , so maybe the eel was cute as well.

And, well, this had come as a _bit_ of a surprise, considering Tony had thought Jorah was a goldfish. But look, even if Jorah _was_ a moray eel with a ridiculous number of teeth, then he was going to be fine in Tony’s book. Any pet that could make Nick Fury screech was a definite yes, _obviously_.

“Of course we’re keeping him, Loki,” Tony said softly. “He’s family, isn’t he?”

Loki smiled, and came to stand back by Tony, taking his hand gratefully. “I am sorry for the trick,” he said. “I just, wanted to be sure.”

“I let you keep the cassowary, didn’t I?” Tony soothed. “I didn’t do that _just_ because she’s cute.”

As if summoned, there was then a chirp down the hall– but not a cute chirp, an _angry_ chirp. And then, feet hammering against the ground, neck extended straight out, Alan charged at Fury, leapt into the air, threw herself _backward_ and kicked out with her not-quite-yet-deadly talons. Thankfully, she was still small enough that it didn’t do any damage, but it was enough to push Fury over and send him sprawling back into Jorah’s water with a splash. Jorah lunged at the opportunity quite literally, and happily latched onto Fury’s arm.

Fury swore and the cassowary chirped again, turning her beady eyes on Tony and Loki with a look that could only be described as _proud_.

“A little late, Alan,” Tony said tiredly. “But we appreciate the effort.”

Loki, on the other hand, scooped her up to sing her praises, and Tony couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

Föo, meanwhile, was running around Loki’s ankles excitedly, joining in on the fun– or perhaps congratulating his little sister on her successful take-down.

And, then.

“Will one of you help me?” Fury complained.

Tony was a little wary, but he remembered what Loki had done– and he was pleasantly surprised that when he scratched lightly under Jorah’s smooth chin, the eel pressed his head closer for more, almost cuddling up against him like Föo did sometimes.

The clearing of a throat interrupted him, and he glanced up to see Fury watching him– now safely on solid ground and looking completely unimpressed.

“Oh,” Tony said, pretending to be surprised. “You’re still here?”

“I came to ask you about—”

“In the middle of the night?” Loki asked.

“It’s—”

“Actually, I want to know what you did to JARVIS,” Tony cut in, the danger clear in his bright tone.

“I am fine, Sir,” JARVIS spoke up, and despite having been sure that he would be since realising who the invader was – Fury had done this before, after all – Tony felt a touch of relief upon hearing his AI’s voice. “A reboot of the network was all that was required.”

“You need to stop doing that,” Tony said to Fury.

“I came to find out—”

“Is it life threatening?” Tony asked.

“If it was, he would have said it already,” Loki commented lightly.

“True.”

“It _is_ important—” Fury tried, but Tony cut him off again.

“If you were doing anything other than trying to get more dirt on Loki, then I’ll take over Alan walking duty,” Tony snapped. “Come back in the morning, or don’t come back at all, I don’t care. Just _go_.”

Fury looked like he was about to argue some more, but then Föo – lovely, sweet natured Föo – began to growl. Alan, still in Loki’s arms, perked up at the sound, and the water rippled as Jorah shifted underneath.

Fury’s gulp was audible, but he kept his cool as he turned to stare them down.

“Before I go, I must ask,” Fury said, his voice carefully controlled. “Why is your house full of wild animals?”

“They are our pets,” Loki said firmly. Then, exchanging a smile with Tony, he added– “Our family.”

“A word of warning, then,” Fury told them, glancing around at the assembled creatures warily. “You should be careful. The last time I trusted an animal, I lost an eye.”

“If you don’t go soon, you’ll be losing a whole lot more than that,” Loki said, his voice dark and cheerful in that way which only Loki ever managed to pull off.

Fury finally _did_ leave at that, and Föo had the honour of nipping at his heels the whole way out. As soon as JARVIS closed the elevator doors behind Fury, Föo came trotting back with his nose in the air and his tail held high.

“Aw,” Tony cooed, kneeling down to give him a pat. “Yes, you’re a good boy. Everyone did good tonight, in fact– especially you, Jorah.”

“Maybe Fury has a scar on his foot now, to match his eye,” Loki said gleefully. “Though I _do_ wonder what type of animal had the first honour.”

“Whatever it was,” Tony said, grinning as Föo nudged his hand, asking for more pats. “I think it deserves a medal.”

It was rather a shame that they didn’t know– Tony was sure that story was marvellous. But then, Fury always came up with so many different stories about his eye.

This was probably just another tall tale.

In the end, Tony and Loki didn’t return to bed that night. They dragged a few blankets down to their indoor beach, and lay together with Föo and Alan curled up against their sides and Jorah not far away in the water. All close together, as they should be.

Their family may be a little unconventional, but it was still _theirs_. And for Tony, that was all that was needed for it to be perfect.


End file.
